Bulldogs Top Rams In ‘AAA’ Hoops Action

February 13, 2013, Victoria, BC (ISN) – The Belmont Bulldogs kept pace with Oak Bay and Claremont in AAA High School basketball action with a 71-48 win over Mt. Doug Tuesday night in Langford, handing Mt. Doug their third straight loss.

With two games left, the bulldogs solidified their position in the standings with a convincing win over Mt. Doug, and setting up a potential fight for second place with rival Claremont in the last regular game of the season.

Bulldogs Spaven and Johnston make life hard in the paint putting the body on Rams center A. MacKinnon – Photo by Erich Eichhorn ( www.allsportmedia.ca )

Belmont came out strong in the first period, scoring the first 13 points of the evening against the Rams man-to-man defense. Belmont would find success, pushing their way up court, and throwing the ball inside the painted domain of #16 Erik Spaven. Spaven managed to score 14 of his teams 19 points in the quarter, this would set the tone for the rest of the game. Mount Doug added nine points of their own in the quarter on the court play of A. Benrabah (6 points) and Harrison Mar (3 points) in a late scoring Rams frame.

Although the Rams would find trouble in an aggressive Bulldogs defense to start the second quarter, the Rams turned up their own defense to keep the second quarter scoring even going in to the locker room. With Spaven resting on the bench most of the second period, Owen Vaags dropped in five points to help keep the Rams even. The Bulldogs would enjoy their 28-17 lead at half time.

The Rams starting five would take the floor in the third, giving the Bulldogs trouble with a zone defense that produced some timely turnovers. Mt Doug was looking to climb back into the game with a scoring outburst led by #10 A. Benrabah and pull within 5 points of the Bulldogs halfway through the period.

Benrabah carried his team, scoring 12 points in the quarter including two long balls from behind the arc. Belmont pushed back, finding holes in the Rams defense, and extinguishing a Rams comeback with two 7-0 point runs on scoring by Vaags ( 13 points ) and Spaven ( 8 points ).

Rams centre A. MacKinnon finds himself surrounded by Bulldogs on his way to the hoop. Belmont’s Spaven looks for the block from behind – Photo by Erich Eichhorn ( www.allsportmedia.ca )

The Bulldogs would put the game out of reach by the end of the third quarter, giving themselves a 21-point lead going into the final quarter. The Bulldogs bench, lead by starter Owen Vaags, would stay even with the Rams scoring in the fourth quarter to hold court for the 71-48 win over the Mt Doug Rams. Belmont improves to a 9-2 record, while the Rams fall to 3-7 on the season.